1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of antennas for recreational and similar vehicles and more particularly to the field of such antennas that are retractable and motorized.
2. Discussion of the Background
Recreational and similar vehicles commonly have televisions and other receivers available for the use and enjoyment of the occupants. With such vehicles, it is important to be able to raise and adjust the antenna for best reception and to lower the antenna for travel. In the lowered position, the antenna is preferably as flush as possible with the vehicle roof and properly oriented to offer as small a profile as possible to the direction of travel of the vehicle. In this manner and in the lowered or travel position, the antenna is least likely to be damaged by hitting overhead objects such as low hanging tree limbs and by wind and wind blown trash and other items.
Most current antenna systems are hand operated wherein a crank is manually operated to raise, adjust, and lower the antenna head. These can present problems as the operating crank is typically inside the vehicle. Consequently, the operator often must rely on his sense of feel on the crank as to whether the antenna head has been properly and fully raised, lowered, or rotated to either of the rotational limits.
With this and other problems in mind, the present invention was developed. With it, the operations of the antenna system including the raising, rotating, and lowering of the antenna head have been motorized and automated to a large degree for ease and simplicity as well as safety. In particular, the raising step has been automated to ensure the antenna head is properly extended into its fully upright position before any rotational adjustments can be made to tune in on the signal. Additionally, the lowering step has been automated to ensure the antenna head is fully and safely retracted or lowered in the proper front-to-back orientation with the direction of travel of the vehicle.